Renaissance Man - What Do You Do When You Do What You Do

Renaissance Man - What Do You Do When You Do What You Do
A tropical air animates "What Do You Do When You Do," the lead single from the Finnish duo Renaissance Man's imminent debut album. But it's a weird, chilly tropicalismo, and it's far from the full-bodied, eager-to-please mannerisms of their previous work for Made To Play, with its bouncy, Carnival-at-Panorama-Bar vibes. The loping rhythm is infectious, and the steel-pan-inspired melody is a surefire crowd-pleaser. But you can also hear an echo of DJ Mujava's "Township Funk," similarly dry and spooky; the titular refrain, muttered and then chanted, only thickens the slightly unsettling atmosphere, like a conga line disappearing into a fog of dry ice.

There are plenty of remixes, and on balance they work well, taking elements of the original to places you wouldn't have expected. Adopting a more straightforward tech house stomp, Sei A goes for bitcrushed corrosion, subtle acid and a heads-down groove of hard toms and tinkling bells. Paul Woolford takes an old-school acid route, with a guttural bassline and flashing, searing cymbals and claps; the melancholic lead serves as the perfect segue to an inspired piano passage at the track's climax. At first, Matthew Herbert doesn't seem to do much more than drape a layer of cheesecloth over the source material, but as new chords and a new vocal take a hard left, he manages to turn the song on its ear.

Turbo artists Gingy & Bordello deliver the EP's secret weapon. It's not rocket science: the rhythm chugs like Superpitcher or Chloe, the vocals are looped just so and the details are gratifyingly dubbed. A pinwheeling synth lead is what sets it all off, and beneath furrowed brows, the eyes widen, reflecting blacklight acid fireworks.

Tracklist / 01. What Do You Do When You Do What You Do
02. What Do You Do When You Do What You Do (Matthew Herbert's Little Liar Remix)
03. What Do You Do When You Do What You Do (Sei A Remix)
04. What Do You Do When You Do What You Do (Paul Woolford Remix)
05. What Do You Do When You Do What You Do (Gingy & Bordello Remix)